Explained | How land 'sinking' is creating cracks in houses of Uttarakhand's Joshimath town

The hill town of Joshimath in Uttarakhand has been disrupted in the last few days as residents took to the streets to demand action for the cracks that have developed in their houses.In one of the strangest phenomenon to strike the holy town nestled in the serene hills of Chamoli at a height of 6,000 ft, houses started developing cracks and damages since 2021, leaving residents anxious and worried.Earthquake-prone town's land is 'sinking' While locals blamed the rapid construction drive in the region for the problem — being done to attract tourists and pilgrims as the town falls en route Badrinath and the Valley of Flowers and Hemkund Sahib treks — experts say it is because of land 'sinking' or land subsidence that has induced the structural damage and defects.Land subsidence is when the earth's surface gradually settles or suddenly sinks because of displacement or removal of subsurface materials. Due to this, several pockets of the town are "sinking" as a result of natural and man-made factors, found a state government-appointed expert committee entrusted to study the phenomenon.Joshimath falls in a high-risk seismic 'Zone V'. Civic officials have said the town is prone to high seismic activity, which develops cracks in the structures.Since the first reports of the cracks in 2021 after landslides in Chamoli, over 500 houses have sustained damages or cracks as residents experienced seismic tremors repeatedly in the subsequent years.While 30 of the most affected families have been evacuated, residents are not satisfied and are protesting against the administrative indifference to their plight and are demanding an immediate stop to the construction activities in the region.The state's chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has said he would be visiting the town himself to take stock of the situation.CNBC-TV18.com spoke to a few locals in the area, who also said that the ropeway to Auli has also been closed as a safety measure.There is also a scare that the hillside atop which the town is situated will collapse as it is "located on an old landslide", thus making it vulnerable, News18.com reported.Residents' plight and demandsOn Thursday, residents observed a bandh against the administration to protest against the "idle administration" and "NTPC projects which have led to its gradual sinking," news agency PTI reported.Also Read: Ram Temple at Ayodhya will be ready by January 1, 2024, says Amit ShahAccording to media reports, residents shouted slogans against the civic body and also staged a chakka jam. Meanwhile, business establishments had shut shop for the day. The residents said the protests would continue till the administration took decisive action on their demands."The demands include immediate rehabilitation of residents, stopping construction of an NTPC tunnel and a bypass road between Helang and Marwadi for Badrinath and fixing responsibility of this disaster on the NTPC's Tapovan-Vishnugad hydel project," Atul Sati, convenor of the Joshimath Bachao Sangharsh Samiti, told news agency PTI.As many as 561 houses in various areas of the town have developed cracks including 127 in Gandhinagar, 153 in Ravigram, 71 in Manoharbagh, 50 in Parsari, 52 in Singhdhar, 29 in Upper Bazar, 28 in Marwadi, 27 in Suneel and 24 in Lower Bazar, the news agency PTI reported quoting district disaster management officer NK Joshi. According to media reports, 60 families have left town and civic officials have said 29 families have been temporarily moved to safer places, so far. If required, more families could be evacuated.The families have been temporarily moved a primary school building, the Joshimath Gurdwara, the Milan Kendra and the Nagar Palika Bhawan. Some families have also shifted to their relatives' homes.Residents had protested against the land subsidence in Joshimath last month as well. A five-member team comprising geological experts, engineers and senior officials, had then conducted an on-the-spot inspection of buildings that had developed cracks.Also Read: 2 more involved in Kanjhawala case, hunt on; 5 arrested sent to police custody

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Explained | How land 'sinking' is creating cracks in houses of Uttarakhand's Joshimath town

By Shloka Badkar Mar 15, 2023 4:39:55 PM IST (Updated)

As many as 561 houses across Joshimath have developed cracks, and nearly 30 of the most-affected families have been evacuated, so far. Residents have been petitioning the government to halt all construction in the town.

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Explained | How land 'sinking' is creating cracks in houses of Uttarakhand's Joshimath town

By Shloka Badkar Mar 15, 2023 4:39:55 PM IST (Updated)

As many as 561 houses across Joshimath have developed cracks, and nearly 30 of the most-affected families have been evacuated, so far. Residents have been petitioning the government to halt all construction in the town.

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